Shrouded Memories
by MasterDisaster77
Summary: Darkness plagues the past, nightmares haunt the present, and secrets threaten to destroy the future. SasuNaru Shonen Ai.
1. Darkness

A/N: Hope you like it, and read and review. I'll update as soon as possible, but lately, school's been a bit hectic. We had four or five major projects given out all at once, so... Wish me luck! (Preferably good...)

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Naruto, only the story... and that one quote in italics... oO

* * *

"Let me out!" the small voice cracked from the fear.

The boys on the other side of the door snickered at the plea, apparently enjoying the reaction they got. "The only time that little freak is anywhere _close_to normal is Halloween." There was a small uproar of laughter. "There's a monster in the closet!"

More laughing.

A tear slid down the blonde's face, and he stopped struggling to pull open the door. "You have no idea..." it came out as a whisper, but as soon as the words were spoken, silence fell outside the door. He opened his eyes and looked at his feet. "Oh no... Not now, please. Pull it together, Naruto!" He pleaded with himself, but knew it was no use.

_I don't fear the darkness..._

The laughter didn't continue, and the haunting silence was soon replaced by shocked voices.

"What is this!?" Kiba asked his friends, looking down at the red substance around his feet.

"Chakra."

They all backed away from the door slowly as the tiny trickle of red chakra turned into a steady flow.

"Do you feel that?"

"What?"

The chakra was now pouring from the crack beneath the door.

"THAT!" yelled the raven-haired boy.

A killer intent now filled the air. A bloodlust that was strong enough, now, for them all to feel it.

The door began to rattle on its hinges, and the chair which served as a makeshift lock to keep the blonde child captive inside began to shake and slide, and it fell to the floor on it's side with a loud 'thunk.'

The boys outside the door began to back away, but there was a wall behind them. "Come on! Move!" they yelled, pushing each other to the side. They made a jolt to the stairwell, but froze in their tracks as a wall of chakra went up in front of them. It was glowing an eerie shade of red. Then they placed it. Not just red... blood red.

The chakra began to spiral quickly, and stopped to form the face of a fox. It was smiling at them darkly, and the sight forced the boys backward. Sasuke's heart froze as he felt his feet get tangled beneath him. He fell back, and it resulted in a domino effect, knocking over Kiba, Chouji, and Shikamaru.

The fox's sneer widened, and it's eyes grew darker.

... _I fear the creatures that **await** me in the darkness._

The fox disappeared in a swirling cloud of red smoke, and the wall of chakra went down as if it were melting. Four sets of eyes followed the slowly receding trail of red. As it slowly disappeared under the small crack under the door, the knob began to rattle, and the door creaked eerily open.

It revealed the blonde boy standing there in the middle of the closet. His head was bent down, and there was a soft light that cast a shadow over most of him, only illuminating his silhouette, and his golden locks in the yellow light.

Their eyes widened as the boy lifted his head. It wasn't really the expression in his eyes, or the way he was looking at them that shocked them. It was the fact that there _was_ no expression or life in his eyes, and the fact that he appeared to be looking straight trough them. He appeared as if he were in a trance-like state, and this thought was only amplified as he walked out of the closet. He was moving like a zombie, and the boys were startled when he walked right past them until he reached the spot where the fox once was.

When he reached the spot, he suddenly snapped out of the trance and collapsed onto the floor on all fours. He lay there for a minute, gasping for air and shaking uncontrollably. His shoulders were trembling, and he began to mutter things under his breath, still panting heavily.

"Damn," was the last thing the boys heard the trembling blonde mutter before he got up shakily and began sprinting down the stairs.

They exchanged glances and ran after the boy.

"Hey, wait up!"

He could hear footsteps coming after him as he sprinted down the stairwell. "Oh no..." Naruto's voice came out as a whisper, and was filled with dread as he tried to outrun the four boys who weren't far behind him (except Chouji).

"Stop following me!" he yelled, as he turned his head back to see how far behind they were. Bad idea.

He lost his footing, and crashed to the floor from the eighth step up. His vision was spinning, and when his eyes finally refocused, he realized he was looking up at a smirking, dark-haired boy who was obviously trying to suppress his laughter.

"What are you doing, dobe?"

He glared at the boy above him. "Why do you care?" he asked coldly.

He hissed in pain and grimaced as he rubbed the back of his head. When he pulled his hand back to drape them over his knees, Sasuke stared in disbelief.

"Naruto!" the blonde looked up.

"Huh?"

"You're bleeding!"

Naruto looked down at his hand and shrugged as if it were nothing... _despite_ the fact that his entire palm was dripping with blood.

"Took the class genius to figure that one out," spat the blonde sarcastically. He rolled his eyes and stood up. "Well, if that's all you wanted I'm leaving." He said with an air of finality, and he began walking to the door with his hands in his pockets.

"Wait!"

"What do you want!?" His voice came out as a yell, and he was glaring at Sasuke accusingly.

_'What do I want?'_ thought Sasuke, frantically trying to think of an excuse to keep the blonde there. "Um... your cut! You need to get it cleaned and bandaged!"

"No I don't."

"What do you mean 'no you don't'!?" he asked accusingly. Sasuke's voice sounded like it was on the verge of cracking.

"I mean that I don't need to get it cleaned and bandaged, what else?"

Sasuke walked up to him and grabbed him by the shoulder. "It'll only take a minute," he said, and he grabbed Naruto's arm and dragged him up the stairs.

* * *

A/N: Um... confusing much::nervous laughter:: Sorry. I'm not used to writing long stories. Well, go review! (And I'll go work on my math project that's due tomorrow...)

Another Author's Note: What happened to the other three guys? oO


	2. Secrets

A/N: It's been long enough, and I feel like starting Chapter 2. No interweb today... just writing. WOOT::flings hands up and somehow makes confetti shoot out of them:: Well, you know what to do! Read and review, and hopefully enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Is it really necessary to put this in every chapter?

'_Thoughts'_

"**_Kyuubi speech"_**

_Emphasis, flashback, or things that happen in thoughts_

**Scene switch... (centered)**

Chapter 2: Secrets

"ITAI! Stop pressing so hard, teme!"

"Well then why don't you do it yourself, dobe?"

Naruto scowled at Sasuke, and the dark-haired boy understood.

"Not very bright for the class genius, are you?" snickered the blonde, his scowl turning into a smirk.

"Shut up. You know, you're not really in a position to be saying things like that."

Sasuke had tied up Naruto, because he was refusing to let him clean the wound, and wouldn't do it himself.

The scowl returned to Naruto's face, and he was glaring at Sasuke angrily.

"You got lucky," retorted the blonde.

Sasuke sighed.

"This isn't getting us anywhere."

"So what? At least it's keeping you away from me."

Sasuke closed his eyes and let out another deep sigh. "Dobe, just shut up and let me clean it."

Naruto let out a small, nervous groan and pulled away from the boy advancing on him. It wasn't much use, considering he was tied to a chair, though...

"What the...?"

Naruto was now pulling away furiously, and Sasuke was holding onto the back of his shirt collar trying to get a better look at the cut. He wasn't really surprised about the size of the wound. I mean, what did you expect after taking a fall from the eighth step up? He was intrigued at the way the cut was glowing red.

"Uh... Naruto?"

"Let go of me!"

**Meanwhile... Outside...**

"Uh... do you think we should go in?" Chouji asked the other two boys nervously.

Kiba was rolling around on the floor laughing and wiping away his tears. It was obvious what he was thinking.

"It just _had_ to be a bathroom..." Shikamaru whispered to himself, rolling his eyes.

"So troublesome..."

**Back in the bathroom...**

"I said let go!" Naruto yelled. The ropes were now coming loose, and he was able to move around a little bit more freely. He slipped his arms out and pushed himself away from Sasuke. "And quit staring at me!"

Naruto was now seething, and Sasuke was gaping at him, still staring at his neck.

"Well go on and ask! I know that's the only reason you were trying keeping me here!"

Sasuke just stared at the irritated blonde yelling at him. '_What was that?_'

"Um..."

'_Wait... "The only reason I was trying to keep him here?" Does that mean that this has to do with that weird chakra from earlier?'_

"Wait... what?"

"I said, 'Go. On. And. Ask.'" he was stretching out his repeated words, and a small smirk found its way to his lips as he saw the look Sasuke had after being talked to like that by the "dead last".

"Not that, Usuratonkachi!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes at seeing the smirk replaced by a puzzled look.

**_"He's talking about earlier, kit."_**

_'Huh?"_

_**"He was trying to keep you here to ask you about the chakra from earlier."**_

_'WHY DID YOU RELEASE YOUR CHAKRA EARLIER!?'_

_**"I had to."**_

_'Why?'_

_**"You got caught. You know they wouldn't have let you out, right? And besides... they would've figured out your little secret soon enough on their own."**_

_'It's only going to get worse now that they know, right...?'_

_**"Yes. But you're forgetting that you have me..."**_

_"Somehow, that's not as reassuring as it sounds..."_

A pale hand waved in front of the blonde's face. "Hey! Did you just hear a word of what I just said?"

"No." he replied simply.

Sasuke let out a deep sigh and rubbed his temples. "You're so worthless Usuratonkachi."

_'Worthless.'_

The word echoed in Naruto's mind, and a scowl slowly formed on his face.

He pushed Sasuke against a wall and held him in place using his forearm. His eyes were downcast and hidden in shadows, and the rest of the features on his face betrayed no emotion. "Shut up..." his voice came out as a strained whisper, and his shoulders were shaking.

"What-" began the dark haired boy, but he was abruptly cut off by the blonde.

"SHUT UP!" He looked up at the boy he had pinned against the wall, and Sasuke saw that his usually bright, cerulean eyes had turned a deep shade of crimson – the same shade as the chakra that they saw earlier, and the same color that enveloped his cut.

He also noticed that the lined on his cheeks had gotten thicker, and his teeth and nails had grown sharper.

"Don't you _ever_ call me worthless. What have you ever done that's worth a shit?"

**Outside...**

"Look." Shikamaru stated, looking down to the crack below the door.

Kiba had stopped laughing awhile back and was now listening intently to the boys' conversation with his ear pressed against the door. "Yeah. It sounds like Sasuke's getting his butt handed to by that little brat."

Shikamaru let out an irritated sigh and corrected the eavesdropping boy. "Not that... that!" he was pointing to the bottom of the door, and Kiba looked down near his feet.

"AHHH!" yelled the boy jumping back.

Chouji looked at the chakra seeping under the door and hesitated for a while. "I think we should go in and help him.

The other boys nodded and began walking to the door. They were more than a little nervous to see what was waiting on the other side of the door.

**Back in the bathroom...**

The door knob rattled, and Naruto turned to the door with a fierce look in his eyes. He put his left hand up and made a twisting motion with it. There was a click indicating that the door was now locked.

Naruto turned to look at Sasuke, and a dark sneer crept upon his lips. "You wouldn't leave so soon would you?" he asked the raven-haired boy in a mocking voice. "Not when the fun's just begun..." Sasuke shuddered slightly under the blonde's grip, and Naruto's sneer widened. "Aw... the tough guy's scared already?" scorn and sarcasm dripped from his words.

"Kuso..."

Naruto released his hold on the other boy and put his hand to his head. He slumped to the floor, and remained on his knees. He was trembling and his eyes welled with tears from the pain.

The different features began to fade. The whisker marks on his cheeks began to thin, his nails and his teeth withdrew until they were back to normal, and behind closed eyelids, blood red eyes resumed their peaceful, bright blue color.

The blonde's body went limp, and he lay on the floor in a heap. Just seconds later, there was a loud crash, and the door burst open.

"Sasuke! Are you alright? We saw that weird chakra from before, and we-"

Kiba stopped talking and looked down at the blonde who was laying on the floor. "What happened to him?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't know..." Sasuke looked at Naruto curiously. "but I intend to find out."

* * *

A/N: CLIFFHANGER! Yeah... weird ending. Sorry! Anyways, read and review. I hope you liked it! 


	3. Memories and Misunderstandings

A/N: For all you people alone on Valentine's Day... Oh, the irony. This was supposed to be longer...

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, obviously.

_Dream/Flashback/Thoughts/Emphasis_

**Scene Switch (Centered)**

Chapter 3: Memories and Misunderstandings

Four sets of eyes looked down at the blonde at their feet. He was sitting propped up against the bathroom sink, and his arms were tightly bound to his body. Although his head hung limply over his shoulders, his mind was reeling with memories.

_A small child walked down the streets. He was glancing nervously back and forth, and walking slowly through the crowded streets. It seemed like everywhere he went, the icy glares were always directed at him._

_'Why is it always like this? Am I actually the demon fox? Am I the Kyuubi?'_

_Questions raced through his mind, but his thoughts were soon penetrated by the venomous remarks of the villagers._

"_The demon brat's out!" a man scoffed, just loud enough for the boy to hear._

"_Get out of here," another man demanded coldly, and he spat at the boy's feet._

_He moved away, and as he turned around, he saw a woman pulling her son closer to her. "Stay away from us!" she yelled, almost pleadingly. As she hugged her son closer to her, a tear slid silently down the blonde's face. He wiped his eyes with his fists and ran blindly away from the cold glares. _

_He didn't care where he went... anywhere was better than here._

**Back in the Bathroom...**

The boys continued to look curiously at Naruto who was still sleeping at their feet.

"Maybe we should wake him up..." Chouji suggested questioningly.

"Yeah."

Sasuke bent down and began to shake the boy awake. He had his hand on his shoulder and was beginning to rouse the sleeping blonde, but he stopped abruptly when he saw a tear fall silently down the whiskered cheeks.

"I'm sorry..."

The words that escaped Naruto's lips were a barely audible whisper, but they were still there, and Sasuke still heard them.

He wiped the tear away with his thumb and began to slowly and gently shake the blonde.

"Naruto..." he whispered softly.

The blonde began to stir, and after a few moments, his eyes fluttered open.

He stared blankly at the boy who was crouched in front of him, then he followed the pale arm to the hand that was resting on his shoulders. Then his eyes shifted downward to the ropes that bound his arms tightly to his body.

He looked up once again, still completely silent, and fixed his gaze on the onyx eyes that were staring directly at him. His expression was completely serene, so the boys were by no means prepared for what came next.

He let out the most blood-curdling scream any of them had ever heard.

"Let me out of here!" he yelled, writhing in the tightly bound ropes and scrambling back in an attempt to escape. As he pushed to get away from them, he bumped into the sink. He looked up behind him and saw that it was no use.

He let out a tiny groan of defeat and shut his eyes tightly. His body tensed as he curled into himself.

He braced for the pain, but looked up cautiously when it didn't come.

Sasuke was looking at his curiously, and Kiba and Chouji were standing behind him with similar looks on their faces. Shikamaru just stood in the opposite corner with his arms crossed and the same nonchalant attitude he always had. "What are you doing, dobe?"

Before Naruto could answer, the heard a voice coming from outside the bathroom. "Sasuke, you kids need to get to sleep already!" his mother called from the other side of the door.

Sasuke let out a deep sigh. "Let's go to my room guys..."

The other boys nodded, and Sasuke grabbed the back of Naruto's jacket. "Let's go, usuratonkachi," he stated plainly as he began pulling Naruto by the back of his collar.

The blonde had a scowl on his face, and began to pout as Sasuke dragged him out of the bathroom.

When they were a short distance away, Sasuke blushed as he heard a comment from his mother.

"I told you he was gay..." she said, raising both eyebrows at her husband.

He dismissed it thinking that nobody had heard it.

His head shot up, and his eyes widened in horror as he heard a soft giggling at his side. The blonde looked up at him with a mischievous glint in his eyes and a smirk playing on his lips.

"Don't worry, I won't tell them," he whispered, motioning his head toward the other three boys, who apparently hadn't heard.

"Wh-what!?" A vein popped on his forehead.

Naruto snickered at the reaction he got, and Sasuke just ignored him altogether. He was now glaring at the floor, and Naruto was laughing.

The others looked back to see Sasuke glaring at the floor while pulling a laughing blonde behind him by the jacket collar. They just shrugged it off and continued walking.

'Hmmm... must be PMSing,' thought Kiba. He began laughing out loud, but abruptly stopped when he felt someone's fist come down on his head.

"ITAI!"

"Shut... up..."

Chouji turned around to see what was going on, but Shikamaru just kept walking, muttering about how troublesome it was.

Chouji looked back to see Kiba on the ground clutching his head and glaring at Sasuke, Sasuke waving a fist back and forth threateningly at Kiba while screaming at him, and the blonde was on the floor laughing hysterically while still tied up.

Sasuke wheeled around to scowl at the blonde, and the laughter subsided and was replaced by a smirk.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at the seething boy in front of him.

"You know, I don't think he actually heard anything..."

Sasuke closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh. Another vein popped on his forehead again.

Just as he was about to reply, they heard a voice a few feet away.

"We're here..." Shikamaru stated as he opened a door near the end of the hall.

"Come on, usuratonkachi..."Sasuke said with an exasperated sigh. He gripped the back of the orange jacket, and pulled Naruto into the room.

* * *

A/N::nervous laughter:: Like it? The plot's unfolding! Dun, dun, dun... ::dramatic background music and lightning:: The perfect plot for V-Day just hit me... too bad it's today. Well, read and review! 


	4. Pensive

A/N: Okay, so here's where the actual story starts coming together. Hope you like it! Oh yeah, before I forget, thanks everyone for the awesome reviews!

Warning: I've decided to make this shonen-ai… Don't blame me.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Hmmm... CAN I OWN ITACHI!?!? What if I owned Misashi Kishimoto? Would I own them _then_? Still don't own.

Chapter 4: Pensive

As he sat in the doorway, still bound tightly in the ropes, his eyes widened, and he sat, gazing intently, at the vast space before him.

Smooth, white marble floor, black and red satin sheets spread over the mattress, the intricately carved bedposts, and the sparkling chandelier glinting with light overhead. He shifted his gaze around the room, and it stopped at the window. He was slightly intrigued by the expertly embroidered black silk curtains, but his eyes lit up as he noticed the captivating scene on the other side of the window.

A small, moonlit path could be clearly seen, strewn with rose petals that had fallen and blown across the grass. The small white pebbles that constructed the path shimmered in the light. There was a white wall surrounding the garden, laced intricately with vines. At the base of the wall, there were white rose bushes, illuminated by the soft glow of the moon. In the middle of the garden stood a water fountain, captivatingly illuminating the garden with shadows and light that danced over the ground and the walls due to the lights that shimmered and shone through the lucid water. The water cascaded down to the bottom basin from about ten feet above, creating ripples that distorted the shadows coming from the fountain, and made them twist and turn, dancing back and forth gracefully across the garden.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked up to see who it belonged to. Onyx eyes looked into his, and he managed a small, painful smile before his gaze drifted back to the window, and his face once again became emotionless, his eyes fixed on the cascade of flowing water.

"Are you okay?" asked the raven-haired boy, intrigued at how long Naruto had been staring at the same spot.

The blonde head shot up, and blue eyes stared into black ones. "Yeah. Why?"

"Well, for one, you've been staring at the same spot for almost half an hour."

"Have I?" he asked dazedly as he returned his blank gaze to the window.

"Yeah, you have," Sasuke replied, bending down to untie the ropes.

As the ropes fell around Naruto's arms and waist, he kept his fixed on the window.

"Come on..." Sasuke said, gesturing for Naruto to take his hand.

Cerulean locked onto onyx, and a shiver ran down Sasuke's spine. '_Have his eyes always looked so... dead?' _he thought to himself, but his thoughts were cut short by the feeling of a warm hand in his.

He pulled the blonde off the floor and guided him to a side of the room.

"Um... you can sleep here tonight," he started, sounding uncharacteristically nervous. He motioned toward a sleeping bag near a wall.

"And what make you think I'm going to stay here in the first place!?" he near yelled. His head was so clouded with rage toward the arrogant Uchiha, that he didn't notice the boy sneaking up behind him... the boy with a rope in his hand, and a wicked smile gracing his lips.

Kiba lunged forward and tackled the blonde to the ground.

"Let go of me!" Naruto yelled, throwing wild punches and kicks at the boy who was currently on top of him trying to tie him up.

The battle raged on for a while, and when it was over, Kiba stood panting by the blonde who was cursing loudly and writhing in the ropes trying to loosen them. Kiba wiped a few beads of sweat from his forehead using the back of his hand, and looked at Sasuke.

Sasuke walked up to the boy who was squirming in the ropes and stood right in front of him. Naruto stopped struggling with the ropes and looked up, scowling at the boy smirking above him.

"Maybe that," he stated plainly, answering Naruto's question from earlier. The blonde's scowl got angrier, and he jerked his head down to avoid the onyx eyes staring down at him.

He began struggling with the tight ropes again, and he fell onto his side.

"Kuso..."

He began trying to push himself up, and was surprised to feel a strong, firm grip pulling him up by his arm.

When he was in a sitting position, he began glaring at the floor, not wanting to see the onyx eyes that were watching him.

Sasuke stood up from his crouching position in front of Naruto, and turned to the others.

"So, what should we do now?" he asked the other three boys.

When he received no answer, he looked behind him to see what his friends were staring at. He turned around to find the blonde slumped over in the ropes, already fast asleep.

He gazed at the blonde with a perplexed look on his face, and smirked.

"Dobe..."

* * *

_A small child stands in the middle of a bleak, empty street, gray and deserted. Tears fall from his eyes, and fall to the pavement below his feet. His body trembles, and his small form casts an odd and distorted shadow, which resembles a fox. Nine tail flail madly in the silhouette, and the boy wipes his tears with the back of a clenched fist._

_The scowling faces of the villagers return around him, and the angry glares are once again directed towards him._

_"Monster…"_

_"Demon…"_

_"Murderer…"_

_Tears fall in a steady stream down the boys face, and his hand falls to his side. His efforts to wipe away the tears have become useless, and he shuts his eyes tightly. He wills the pain to go away. The loneliness forever present. There are people all around him, but he is still alone._

_He runs blindly away, not caring where. He'd rather be anywhere than where he is now.

* * *

_

Cerulean eyes snapped open, and the blonde sat up from the floor.

He looked around the room and saw Sasuke, Kiba, Chouji, and Shikamaru, still fast asleep.

'_Finally!' _thought the blonde. '_I can leave...'_

He stood up slowly and silently, only making a small shuffling noise from the fabric of the blanket draped over him.

He crept to the door silently and slowly twisted the door knob. The door creaked slightly as it opened, but in the silence surrounding the room, it sounded like a train wreck.

He looked around the room to find the others still sleeping peacefully. Sasuke shifted slightly in his slumber, but quickly drifted off again, a serene look on his face.

A small smile crept upon Naruto's lips, and he slipped silently out the door. He took one last glace back at Sasuke's sleeping form, watching the steady rise and fall of his breathing, and reached out for the door knob, but something caught his eye.

He gazed out the window, and stood entranced by the scene of the serene garden outside, the water flowing steadily.

_'Maybe just a bit longer… after all, what's there to go home to?' _he thought to himself, and he walked down the hall silently, making sure not to wake anybody.

Back in Sasuke's room, a pair of charcoal eyes snapped open.

* * *

He gazed pensively into the water, staring at his distorted reflection.

Rose petals floated, suspended on the surface of the water, bobbing up and down slightly to the flow of the rippling water, and the memories began to slowly drift to the forefront of his mind.

A tear slid down his cheek and into the water, causing a small ripple in the crystalline water.

"Oi, dobe…"

* * *

A/N: So, how was it? Well, read and review. Ja! 


End file.
